1. Field
One or more embodiments of the present invention relate to an electrode active material, a method of preparing the same, an electrode for a lithium secondary battery which includes the same, and a lithium secondary battery using the electrode.
2. Description of the Related Art
Lithium secondary batteries have been in the spotlight as power sources for the latest small portable electronic devices because they have high energy densities and because the lithium secondary batteries, which use organic electrolytes, have discharge voltages that are twice or more higher than those of typical batteries using alkaline aqueous solutions.
A lithium secondary battery uses materials capable of inserting (intercalating) and extracting (de-intercalating) lithium ions as an anode and a cathode, and is prepared by disposing an electrolyte between the cathode and the anode. The lithium secondary battery generates electrical energy by oxidation reaction and reduction reaction when lithium ions are inserted and extracted at the cathode and the anode, respectively.
The life of a lithium secondary battery is decreased because an irreversible product is formed by a reaction between an electrolytic solution and an active material of the matter and the electrolytic solution decomposes during charging and discharging of the battery. In order to protect from or prevent such a decrease in battery life, a method of coating Al2O3, AlPO4, lithium titanium aluminum phosphate, or the like on a surface of a cathode active material or an anode active material has been suggested.
However, there is much room for improvement because lithium batteries have not reached a satisfactory level with respect to their life characteristics.